Return to the Digital World 1: Rise of Iwamon
by SeaSpectre160
Summary: ORIGINAL TITLE RISE OF ROCHEMON It's been 5 years since Frontier. Now the heroes are needed again, and 4 new kids join. But will they find their Spirits in time to save a world they've never heard of? Part 1/9. RE-REVISED JUL 4
1. What's happened so far

**So this is my first ever Digimon story! It takes place five years after the end of Season four, so Junpei is 17, Takuya, Kouji, Izumi, and Kouichi are 16, and Tomoki is thirteen. One of the hardest things was figuring out how to make Tomoki into a teenager! Lexi is 16, Kyousuke is 17, and Juan is 12. For now, Shinya is twelve because I'm hoping on the anniversary of the first trip into the Digital World being celebrated later in the story. And since that's Shinya's birthday, he has to be twelve for now. No flames! Especially shipping flames, because I think some shippers go WAY too far. **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon. **

**CLAIMER: I own Kyousuke, Terukai, Sasuke, Juan, Tetsuji, Mami, and Lexi. I _SO_ own them. **

**EDIT: ALL THE NAMES AND TERMS HAVE NOW BEEN JAPAN-IFIED, IF THAT EVEN MAKES SENSE. KYLE MURDOCK HAS BEEN CHANGED TO MIURA KYOUSUKE. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF THERE'S ANY OTHER TERMS THAT TO NOT FIT WITH THE ORIGINAL JAPANESE VERSION, I WILL FIX IT.**

* * *

"Yo, what's goin' on, babe?"

"How 'bout I give you a ride?"

"I know a perfect spot downtown!"

The blonde teenager ignored the annoying calls of various boys her age - and some older - and kept walking. A week earlier, when she'd first moved here, she would've either blushed or given the guy in question a swift kick where it hurts, depending on her mood.

Her hair, once falling several inches past her shoulders, was now cut so that the tips just brushed her chin. She had deep green eyes and a fair complexion. She wore a pink tank top under a navy blue fitted t-shirt, faded jeans, black boots, and purple fingerless gloves that extended up to her elbows.

Every day since she'd moved to this new town, she'd gone for a walk around the neighbourhood park, hoping to find a new friend. The last time she'd moved, about five or six years ago, she'd stayed shut indoors and waited for school to start. Thinking of that reminded Izumi of the five guys who'd helped her change that part of her personality. Today was actually close to the anniversary of the day they first met. She really should call them. She'd gotten so caught up with starting high school last year, that she'd missed the last anniversary. None of the guys had been in contact with her since before them. Izumi wondered if they'd even heard from each other, either, except the twins. Last time she'd spoken to them, they were spending their weekends together, alternating between their divorced parents.

A loud barking noise jolted Izumi out of her distracted thoughts. She turned and just caught a glimpse of a big, yellow, and furry animal, before it knocked her down, hard. "Ow!" Something hot and wet rubbed up her left cheek repeatedly, and soon her initial cry of surprise turned into laughter. She stroked the big golden retriever with one hand while simultaneously trying to push it off her with the other.

"Ginger!" A young man's voice came from not too far away. The dog backed off almost immediately. "Sorry about that. She does that every time she meets someone new." Izumi stood up, still chuckling.

"That's okay. I love animals." She scratched Ginger affectionately behind the ears. Looking up at the boy's face, she almost fell over again. His shaggy, dark brown hair and pale grey eyes captivated her, as did his flashy grin. He wore an army green buttoned shirt, a forest green vest, light brown cargo pants, and olive-green-and-white sneakers. "I'm Izumi," she mumbled.

"Kyousuke." Ginger looked back and forth between the two, her tail wagging like mad. "You hungry? I know this place about a block from here. My treat."

"Uh, sure."

* * *

"Concentrate, kid." Two young men, clothed in white gis, stood facing each other on the mat. The bigger blond one, Tatsumi Terukai, was the same age as all the other students: college-age. The other kid was high school junior Minamoto Kouji, the youngest - and newest - student in their kendo class. Terukai darted forward, jabbing his dull wooden sword at Kouji's gut. His opponent easily jumped to the side. Despite his obvious size advantage, Kouji noted that this guy had **nothing **in skill compared to Karatenmon. This was almost too easy. He quickly disarmed Terukai, securing victory.

The other students gasped. The new kid had just beaten their well-muscled champ in less than two seconds. "Okay, that's all for this week," the sensei announced, "I'll see you all next Friday." All the students bowed respectfully before running off to the change rooms, chatting about this recent development in Terukai's winning streak - or rather, its end.

Fingers were tapping on the steering wheel of a plain black car by the time Kouji finally emerged from the dojo. His eyes were deep blue, and his long, straight, black hair was tied in a ponytail. He wore jeans, white shirt with two diagonal navy blue stripes under a black jacket, dark blue and black sneakers, and an old blue and brown bandanna on his head. "Took your sweet time, bro," an annoyed voice nagged him, "We only have five minutes to return all these books." He gestured towards the back, where several books of various sizes were scattered all over the seat and floor.

"Hey, it's not my fault you check out two dozen books at once, Kouichi," Kouji retorted as he slid into the passenger seat, allowing his blue duffel bag to join the books and straightening his bandanna.

Kouichi looked exactly like his brother, only his hair was shorter, and he wore dark blue jeans, a black t-shirt, a light grey hoodie, and black and grey sneakers.

"Ha ha. Just for that comment, you're helping me carry them." He started up the car and drove in the direction of the local library. As he stopped at a red light - and banged his head on the steering wheel in frustration - both of their cell phones rang.

* * *

"Tomoki! Pass it over here, man!" The thirteen-year-old looked over across the field, seeing that his buddy Sasuke was wide open. He tossed the football to him and paused for a second as his partner caught it in the makeshift 'end zone' of the local park.

"Touchdown!" Tomoki shouted, pumping his fist in the air, "Game over!"

Tomoki had grey-green eyes and short brown hair. He wore a white t-shirt with light green on the collar and the edge of his sleeves, and the number 33 in the same colour, faded blue denim shorts, a green wristband on his right arm, and green-and-white sneakers.

High-fiving each other, the two boys and the rest of their team cheered, while the other kids argued.

"I told you we shouldn't have picked that new guy," one boy stated, "He's a total klutz!" A kid with dark hair and a purple sweater vest turned sadly and began to walk away. Noticing this, Tomoki broke off from his team and followed him.

"Hey, wait up!" he called. The boy stopped and faced him. "Don't listen to Tetsuji, alright? He's a sore loser. Besides, he screws up more than everyone around. Don't tell him I said that, though."

The new kid smiled a little. "Thanks," he replied in a Spanish accent, "I'm Juan. My family and I just moved here from Spain only two days ago." He had brown eyes, black hair, a black turtleneck under the vest, clean, white pants, and brown shoes.

"I'm Tomoki. You know, there's this new skate park that just opened across town. We're gonna check it out. Wanna come?"

"I would, but my Mom doesn't want me to try anything like that. Thanks anyway."

* * *

"Shinya, how many times do I have to tell you? No basketball in the house!"

"Sorry, mom! I mean, we're not breaking anything, but sorry!" The tanned young teenager tossed the ball to his friend Katsuno Mami, but missed. Instead, it bounced off the head of an older boy, Shinya's brother, lying on the couch.

Shinya Kanbara had light brown hair and eyes that were just a few shades darker. He wore a dark red t-shirt with one green stripe and two pale yellow stripes above and below the first across the chest, over a navy blue long-sleeved, black pants, a green toque, and blue-and-green sneakers.

His brother Takuya had the same eyes and slightly darker hair. He wore a red t-shirt with what looked like the Japanese character for fire drawn on in permanent marker, dark blue jeans, a beige hat, brown gloves that were fingerless except for the thumbs, red-and-black sneakers, and a pair of square goggles on his head.

"Ow!" Takuya yelped, "Shinya!" The daggers in his eyes sent the younger ones running for cover. "You two are so dead!" He snatched up the basketball and lobbed it after them, also falling short of his target. CRASH!

"Takuya!" his mother shouted, "Tell me that wasn't the lamp!"

"Beans!"

* * *

Hey! Let me go!" Lexi Walsh struggled against the masked guy holding her up to the wall. She could smell the strong alcohol on his breath. The thug's partner ripped her purse off her arm, too stoned to noticed her cell phone falling out. Lexi cursed inwardly. She **knew **she shouldn't have taken the alley shortcut on her way back from work, especially after just receiving her paycheck.

Lexi had long, wavy red hair and brown eyes. She wore a green halter top, a frayed denim miniskirt, black knee-length leggings, and brown, leather, high-heeled ankle boots. If her mother had seen her at that moment, she would've had a heart attack, and not just because of Lexi's current situation.

The first guy tossed her on the pavement and both thugs raced off as police sirens sounded in the distance. Somebody must've seen them chasing her. Lexi pulled herself up to the wall, trying to catch her breath. "'Go spend a year with your aunt and uncle,'" she muttered, mimicking her mother's voice, "'You'll have fun, lots of fun!' Yeah. Right."

* * *

Five minutes until the extra help session ended for the day. Stupid history. He handed **one** major assignment in late, and he wound up stuck here every Saturday afternoon. This was definitely the most boring experience of Junpei's life.

Junpei had brown hair and eyes. He wore a blue sweatshirt, dark blue shorts, and yellow - yes, yellow - sneakers. He'd gotten taller and lost some weight over the last five years.

His cell phone suddenly started vibrating in his sweatshirt pocket, giving him something to pay attention to - besides the Greek emperors, or were they talking about the French? He wasn't really listening. Carefully, he pulled it out and looked at the screen under his desk. He'd received a text message, from an unknown person:

'The Digital World is in need of the Legendary Warriors once more. Go to Shibuya Station and take the elevator to the basement by six o'clock today.'

Junpei felt a grin spreading on his face, along with a spark of excitement in his chest. That summer he'd gone to the Digital World, it'd been the best and most life-changing experience of his entire life. Wait a minute, six o'clock? He had only half an hour! When was that stupid bell going to ring? Oh, never mind; he'd almost forgotten that Shibuya Station was only a ten-minute walk away from the school.

* * *

**So, just in case anyone's confused, Izumi's moved again, and has met a guy named Kyousuke, whom she obviously likes. Kouji and Kouichi live at their own homes like they did before, but spend weekends together at the same house. One week they're at Kousei's and Satomi's, and then they switch to Tomoko's. Tomoki now has plenty of friends, and loves football and skateboarding. Takuya's still not completely getting along with Shinya (do you know any siblings that do?). And Junpei hasn't been doing to well in school, and has to go to weekend extra help sessions, which are near Shibuya Station, where it all began years ago. **

**This chapter, as you can guess, is just a summary of what's been happening to our heroes since they whooped Lucemon's butt. Also an introduction to several OCs. Some are more important than others, but as a drama instructor of mine says, there is no such thing as small parts. Everyone is important in one way or another. **

**Also, if you want to know why I paired Izumi with an OC, I am SO TIRED of the arguments between different Izumi shippings, debating wheter she belongs with Takuya, Koji, Kouichi, or Junpei. So I'm pairing her with none of them. Hence, Kyousuke.**


	2. New Warriors Revealed

**Whoohoo! Chapter two! This has been one of my favourite stories to write. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas (I did!). It seemes to go by faster every year, though, so enjoy every minute of it! Just so you know, I'm scrapping my 'Inner Darkness' story. It just wasn't going anywhere. **

**Recap of chapter one: We had a brief look at our heroes to see how their lives have been going five years after they saved the Digital World (So it's April 2007). Izumi has moved again, but this time is trying to make new friends - and finds a very cute one (winks). Kouji and Kouichi now get to spend their weekends together, and Kouji has become the best in his kendo class at the local rec center, despite being the youngest and the newest. Tomoki has made a new friend named Juan. Takuya still doesn't get along with Shinya. And Junpei has to take extra help lessons on Saturdays because he sicks at history. So far, they have received a mysterious text message telling them the Digital World is in danger again. Four more heroes will join them, but which ones of the several other kids we saw? The cutie Miura Kyousuke, the college-age kendo buff Tatsumi Terukai, football player Kagura Sasuke, the jerk Kagura Tetsuji, new-kid-in-the-country Juan Cortez, our fave little bro Kanbara Shinya, tomboyish Katsuno Mami, or stubborn Lexi Walsh? Only four of them will be given the power. **

**So I'm not bothering to put up song quotes anymore, because nobody is bothering to answer me about them. **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon. (Wish I did, though)**

**CLAIMER: All the candidates for the other spirits are mine (except Shinya. He's an actual Digimon character, for you boneheads who don't know.) :) *Does a little dance at the thrill of owning so many characters* **

**_The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline._ ~ Proverbs 1:7**

* * *

All aboard!" Trailmon shouted as he heard someone getting out of the elevator.

"Long time, no see, huh?" It was Kouji and Kouichi, identical grins on their faces as they ran up to the front, with Junpei right behind them. "It's hard to believe we haven't been down here in five years! Man, this place looks a whole lot bigger when it's almost empty."

"I hope the others are coming," Kouichi added.

"Guess who, guys!" Izumi cried as she stepped out of the Trailmon's only compartment, "I sure missed you!" Junpei and the twins walked over, glad to see their old friend again. Another boy poked his head out.

"Exactly **how** many people are coming, Izumi?" he asked.

"Including you and me, ten. I think."

Junpei and the twins stared at their friend, confused. "Um, I know we're all wondering this," Kouji said, "but I'll go ahead and say it: Who is **that** guy?"

Izumi grabbed the guy by the arm and gently pulled him over. "This is Miura Kyousuke," she introduced him, "He got the same text message we did, so I brought him along. I think there are a few other new kids coming, too. When I looked at the message in the taxi, I saw that it was sent to ten people."

"Well, it makes sense," Kouichi thought out loud. Kouji understood his brother right away, nodding. There were ten different elements, so that would call for ten different warriors. So four other kids, including this Kyousuke guy, would have to find spirits of their own, assuming all the old warriors got to keep theirs.

Junpei clearly got it as well, but Kyousuke seemed like he still had no clue what was going on. "It does?" he asked. Izumi sighed and pulled him back on board. Junpei, Kouji, and Kouichi followed.

"How about we save the explanations for when everyone's here, okay?" Izumi suggested.

It wasn't long before the '_ding_' of the elevator reached their ears. "Are you sure this is the right floor?" asked an unfamiliar voice, "I've never been to this part of the station before."

"Come on, Shinya. This is definitely the place." All but Kyousuke grinned as they recognized the voice of their leader. They cheered as Takuya stepped on, waving at them. He tugged a kid about Tomoki's age, presumably his younger brother, on board. "Hey, guys!" he greeted them, "This is my brother Shinya. I've already explained everything to him."

Kouji checked the time on his cell. "Tomoki and the other two new kids better get here soon," he announced, "We leave in a couple minutes."

_Ding_. Someone else was coming down the elevator. Ten seconds later, Tomoki poked his head in the door. "Hey!" he cried, "Good seeing you guys again!" He called to the outside: "Juan, hurry up!" and helped another kid on board. "Juan here got the same message on his phone, too. So I brought him with me." Juan gave everyone a small, shy smile, then continued staring at his shoes, fists stuffed in his pockets.

"Well then, that leaves one more person," Izumi added.

"Whoever they are," Kouichi interrupted, checking his watch, "They might not make it. We'll be leaving any second." The words were barely out of his mouth when they heard the _ding_ of the elevators - just as the compartment doors automatically slammed shut.

"Wait!" The girl's cry was barely audible over the engine of the Trailmon. Kouji jumped up and ran over to the rear end door, throwing it open. A girl in a green shirt was chasing after the now-moving Trailmon.

"Grab my hand!" he shouted, stretching his arm out to her. The girl reached for him and grabbed hold, her purple-manicured fingernails digging painfully into his wrist. Her extra weight nearly pulled Kouji off; he felt a hand grabbing his other arm, looked back, and saw his brother behind him. Kouichi tugged, hard, and all three fell onto the compartment floor, groaning.

Izumi helped the girl up. "Are you okay?" she asked, "You almost got left behind there."

"I'm fine." The girl pulled a small mirror out of her pocket, and carefully examined herself. Kouji couldn't help but notice she was pretty hot, despite the fact that her clothes were covered with various dirty smudges.

"Yeah, we're okay, too," Kouichi grunted, pushing his brother off him, "Don't worry about us." Junpei and Takuya helped the twins to their feet, staring at the new girl all the while.

"My name's Lexi," she said, running her fingers through her long red hair and dusting off her clothes, "I got some text telling me to get on this train. Did you guys all get one, too?" She put her mirror away and sat down, eyeing all of them curiously.

"Yeah," Izumi replied, "And you're one of the three people who probably **don't** know where we're going."

"So... **where **are we going, then?" Takuya, Kouji, Tomoki, Izumi, Junpei, Kouichi, and Shinya all smiled at each other.

"We're going to the Digital World," Takuya announced, stretching out in his seat, "It's an alternate dimension some of us saved five years ago."

* * *

Lexi sat in firm disbelief ten minutes later. This was all a big joke, and a stupid one at that. Digital World? Yeah, right. People turning into magical warriors? Impossible! Takuya and his friends were just making this up. She looked over at the other two new kids to see their reactions. Juan looked like he was going to throw up, and Kyousuke was shaking his head in confusion. As for Lexi herself, she sat up straight in her seat, arms folded over her chest.

CRASH! A sudden jolt sent everyone to the floor. Lexi thought she must've bumped her head, because for a second, she was no longer with the others. Instead, she was surrounded by monsters. Even worse was her own reflection in the train's windows. She was wearing shiny, pale turquoise armour, her hair had turned dark blue, and her skin... it was lime green! Her now blood-red eyes widened at the sight.

Another flash, and they were dark brown again. Her wavy red hair was back, and so were her regular clothes. The others had turned back to normal and were climbing back into their seats.

"Shoulda seen that one coming," Takuya groaned, "That's what happened last time, too."

And just when things couldn't get any weirder, they did. A strange light came from Lexi's pocket, along with everyone else's. She pulled her cell phone out, realizing that it was glowing. She could feel it moving in her hand, changing shape. When the light finally died down, she was clutching a strange aqua-green and blue device. It beeped, and she jumped, startled, dropping it on the floor.

"What the hell?" Lexi looked up and saw Kyousuke, Juan, and Shinya holding objects similar to hers, except Kyousuke's was yellow and brown, Juan's green and brown, and Shinya's purple and silver.

The other six seemed much less shocked. "Hey, my D-Scanner's back!" Izumi cried. Takuya, Kouji, Tomoki, Izumi, Junpei, and Kouichi each had one of those things as well. They were black and red, black and blue, white and green, pink and lavender, blue and yellow, and grey and black, respectively. Lexi noticed that Kouji's and Takuya's were of a different design than everyone else's.

"What the hell?" Kyousuke asked again, "What just happened to my phone?"

"It's become a D-Scanner," Junpei explained, "It's what we use to Spirit Evolve." Again with that ridiculous story! When were they going to give it up, already?

They'd been travelling through a dark tunnel for the entire trip, but it suddenly opened up into a vast expanse. The track ran a hundred feet or so above the ground, and blinding sunlight shot through the windows. The land nearby was green and luscious, the single town on the cliffside painted bright orange. "Hey, I think that's Flame Terminal!" Tomoki cried, looking out the window.

Izumi joined him, squeezing next to Lexi. "It is!" she exclaimed, "Boy, has it changed! And I think I can see Bokomon and the others!" Takuya, Junpei, and the twins all jumped up and crowded together to see for themselves. Lexi squirmed her way out of the mass of people and found a new seat next to Juan.

"Who?" It was again Kyousuke who blurted out the burning question.

"Some friends of ours," Kouichi replied, "Trust me, you'll really like them." The train screeched to a halt, and everyone rushed off.

"Thanks for the ride, Trailmon!" Izumi called. That was another thing Lexi found weird. Like the train was going to answer back!

"No problem."

The train just answered back.

"Anything for the Legendary Warriors! You saved us all, the least I can do is give you guys a lift!" Izumi smiled sweetly before following after the others.

A swarm of small creatures surrounded them. A yellow rabbit-thing in red pants was clinging on to Kouji's left leg, its face buried in his knee, while an orange winged guinea pig was being held by Tomoki. A brown animal had its long ears wrapped around Junpei, and a creature that strongly resembled an ordinary puppy nuzzled Izumi's ankle. Most interesting of all was a mostly white creature that had jumped up and was hugging both Takuya and Kouichi at the same time. Or rather, hanging onto their necks while their faces were slowly turning blue. That thing must be stronger than it looked.

"Oh, it's been far too long!" it wept hysterically, "I didn't even get the chance to give you a proper goodbye! And Kouichi! I thought you were gone for good! Oh, this is wonderful, simply wonderful!"

"We missed you too, Bokomon," Takuya choked, "Now could ya quit strangling us?" 'Bokomon' let go, still crying. The other creatures broke away, too. "So what's going on? Why were we summoned back to the Digital World?"

Bokomon's face darkened. "A new evil has arisen. Luckily, it's not even **half **as powerful as Lucemon was, but it's still too strong for anyone but the Legendary Warriors to face. We don't know much else about it, not even its name. And even though the original six of you are more than capable of handling the threat, we figured it would be safer to bring the other four spirits into play. So Salamon was able to contact the rest of you, and pick out a few new warriors, too." The puppy-creature beamed with what Lexi assumed to be pride. Bokomon turned his gaze to Lexi, Kyousuke, Juan, and Shinya. Shinya looked excited, while the others shrunk back.

This was all too surreal for Lexi. This at first seemed like an elaborate joke, but some of it was impossible to pull off! **Was** it a trick? Or could this experience actually be... real?

* * *

**So, that was interesting. The new Chosen Ones are (obviously) Shinya, Lexi, Kyousuke, and Juan. Don't worry, Terukai, Tetsuji, Sasuke, and Mami will still play an important role in the grand scheme of things. I hope you weren't confused by Flame Terminal being all painted and such. I just figured that since the entire Digital World has been reborn, a few places could use a touch-up. The hardest bit to write was when Lexi sees herself in her human spirit form. Remember, the same thing happened in ep 1 with Takuya, Tomoki, Izumi, and Junpei. When I first wrote it, I included Lexi's descriptions of the others, too, but then decided to scrap it. It wasn't flowing right, and besides, I still haven't figured out what Kyousuke and Shinya's forms are going to look like. I have a good idea about Juan's Human Spirit form, and have completely designed both of Lexi's. Here's a little spoiler bit: Lexi's forms are named Amphirimon and Sirenemon. But we won't see Amphirimon until part 2, and I'm not sure when I'm bringing on Sirenemon. I haven't even begun writing part three, but only because there are too many plot bunnies and I can't decide which one to go with. **


	3. Attack! First New Spirit!

**Alrighty, here we go. Chapter 3! Only one more chapter left. **

**Just so people know, Mantimon was originally going to be called Chimaeramon, but that was too similar to season 2's Kimeramon, since they are pronounced the same way. Mantimon's design is based on the mythological beast the Chimaera, who is a girl, so Mantimon is too. **

**The answer to my quiz question was: a) Henry. I think he's got a Terriermon. Like I said before, I don't know Season 3 all that well. **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon or any of its characters. **

**CLAIMER: I own Kyousuke, Lexi, Juan, and Mantimon. **

**"There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked." ~ Isaiah 57:21**

* * *

"What are we doing down here again?" Kouichi asked as Kouji led him down a flight of stairs.

"Don't you remember what Bokomon said? We have to get our spirits back. They were hidden in the same places as before, and this is where I found mine." They came to an opening and onto a ledge overlooking the interior of a large cave. A deep pit was located in the centre of the floor. Grabbing onto one of the long poles that stretched from floor to ceiling, Kouji slid down, Kouichi right behind him. They stood at the edge of the hole. "Don't follow me," Kouji warned him before jumping down. Kouichi hoped his brother knew what he was doing.

A flash of light, and a sight not seen in five years. Wolfmon, Legendary Warrior of Light, rose up out of the hole, landing easily. "Need a lift?" he asked. Kouichi nodded, climbing onto his twin's back. Kouji took a huge leap, and both landed safely on the ledge. "Now let's get out of here. I never liked this place five years ago, and I don't like it now."

* * *

Kyousuke was growing impatient. Both sets of brothers had run off to go get what they called 'spirits' and left everyone else to explore this freaky terminal place. He didn't get anything around here. The creatures wandering around were unlike anything he'd ever seen, up close or in books - of course, he wasn't really a fan of fiction books and all that fantasy crap, so maybe there was something like these things in those. Problem was, they weren't supposed to actually **exist** in real life. Yet now he and his new friends were surrounded by a whole swarm of them. Lexi and Juan, like Kyousuke, kept their distance, while Izumi, Junpei, and Tomoki gladly accepted their attention. The creatures kept calling them their 'saviours' for some reason. Beside him, Juan was muttering nonstop in Spanish. Kyousuke had no idea what the kid was saying, but he had a feeling it was something along the lines of: "I want to go home". He checked his digital watch, to figure out how long they'd been waiting, only to see that it'd gone haywire. _'That's just great,'_ he thought, _'First I'm summoned to some alternate dimension, which shouldn't even exist in the first place, and now my brand new watch breaks. What else could go wrong?'_ As if the universe was answering his question, an earthquake shook the ground. Now what?

"What's going on?" Lexi cried. Before anyone could react, a huge hole opened up only a few feet away from where the group - minus Takuya, Shinya, and the twins - stood. The rumbling and shaking stopped as suddenly as it had begun. A hissing sound came from the hole's depths. Most of the little monsters fled, terrified. Juan almost followed them, but Junpei managed to grab his arm.

"No!" he insisted, "Juan, you're a Legendary Warrior just like the rest of us. You have to stay, too." The other kid looked back to the hole, and pulled away, still talking to himself. He ran after the rest of the creatures. "Hey, Juan! Come back!" Junpei shouted, chasing after him. Despite the younger boy having a head start, Junpei quickly caught up to him and grabbed his arm again, this time with a tighter grip. "Didn't you hear what I said? You're a part of this team now, and we have to stick together!" Another sound came from the pit, this one louder and deeper than just hissing.

With a loud roar, a huge monster leapt up from its depths. It was the most terrifying thing Kyousuke had ever seen. It looked like an overgrown goat, one that had a snake for a tail - and its head was that of a lion's, with horns and a beard. Kyousuke froze in terror. This wasn't real. This wasn't real. THIS WASN'T REAL! The monster roared again, and he could smell its putrid breath. It sure **smelled** real.

"Oh my goodness!" Bokomon cried, pulling a book out from his funny pink belt, "It's Mantimon! She's one of the evil Digimon I was warning you about! Get away!" Kyousuke still couldn't move, purely out of fear. He felt someone grab him under the arms and drag him back as the monster moved forward threateningly. The creature opened her mouth, revealing sharp, stained teeth- was that blood on some of them? - and a torrent of flame burst out, burning the grass only a few inches away from Kyousuke's toes. The heat seemed to make his legs works again; he jumped up and ran, pulling Izumi with him, but they were stopped by a huge building **very **inconveniently sitting in their path. All the so-called heroes were backed in against the wall with nowhere to go. Mantimon took another deep breath, ready to attack.

Just as the blazing wall came barrelling down, a tall figure, a silhouette against the fire's glare, appeared in front of them. While a smaller figure slid off its back, the first held out his hands and pushed the flames away. Mantimon growled at her new adversary. Just then did Kyousuke realize that the smaller figure was Shinya. "Go, Takuya!" Tomoki cheered, "Kick her butt, man! Yeah!" Kyousuke took a closer look at their saviour. He had long, wild, straw-coloured hair and was decked out in some impressive-looking scarlet armour. But he was **way **too tall to be Takuya!

"Careful!" Izumi called.

"Alright, Agunimon!" Junpei shouted to their hero.

* * *

_"You're kidding about all this, right?" Kyousuke asked, "I mean, how could a bunch of kids fight monsters?" _

_"We were all given the spirits of the ancient Legendary Warriors," Kouji explained, crossing his arms, "So we were sort of infused with their powers, I guess. It's kind of hard to explain." _

_"Yeah, I was the first to get a spirit." Takuya leaned back in his seat. "Cerberumon had no chance once I became Agunimon. The dude was toast in five minutes!" _

* * *

So that **was **Takuya! He was pushing forward slowly, beating back the flames Mantimon kept blowing his way. Suddenly, the snake tail swung around, hitting Agunimon and tossing him out of the way. Growling, she advanced upon the others. "At last," she declared in a deep, rumbling voice, "I shall eliminate the Legendary Warriors for Lord Aremon and Lady Athemon. I shall be revered among all their most loyal followers!" O-kay. Now the big monster was talking. Kyousuke **really** wanted to wake up now.

"LICHT SIEGER!" Kyousuke looked up to see another warrior, this one in white armour, leap down from the top of a building, wielding a bright white blade that looked like a lightsaber. It was official, this was the weirdest dream Kyousuke had ever experienced, but he might as well go along with it. He'd wake up once the worst part came, anyway.

Kouichi stood on the roof, too, fists clenched in clear anxiety. So that meant that this one was Kouji. Kouji took a swing at the tail, slicing half of it clean off. Kyousuke and the others cheered, but Mantimon wasn't through yet. Baring her sharp teeth, she swung at Kouji with one of her huge hooves. She missed on her first shot, but caught him off guard with a swipe from the other side. Kouji landed on the ground - hard. A swirl of light, and he was back to normal.

"Kouji!" Kouichi yelled, climbing down. His brother lay unmoving, a sitting duck for the monster glaring down at him. Mantimon inhaled. In a matter of seconds, Kouji would be burnt to a crisp. Without even thinking, something he normally always did first, Kyousuke ran over to his new friend and tried to pull him out of the way, but Kouji was too heavy. As the blaze shot towards him, Kyousuke saw Agunimon step in front of him. At first, he seemed to have no trouble holding back the flame, but it became clear that he was weakening. Kouichi suddenly appeared at Kyousuke's side, and the two of them dragged Kouji over to the others.

Agunimon, finally tired out, was thrown back by the force of the blast. Another flash, and he too was back to normal, clutching his side in pain. Mantimon roared and stomped - hard. The tremor she'd created knocked everyone off their feet. Kyousuke stumbled and fell into the pit. Someone screamed his name. Kyousuke reached out to grab something, anything, to hold on to. His fingers scraped against the walls of the deep pit, cutting into the palms of his hands. Finally, he gripped a stone jutting out, stopping his fall, and slammed into the wall. The impact nearly forced him to let go, but he hung on by his fingertips. More shouts came from above, all calling out to him. "Kyousuke!" Izumi screeched again.

"I'm okay!" he hollered back, even though he doubted she could hear him. He strained to find another handhold or foothold. He had to help Izumi. He had to help the others. He had to do **something**. He'd come here for a reason, hadn't he? Sure, it had felt like some strange dream, but the pain in his hands screamed otherwise. As twisted as this trip was turning out, it was the real deal.

The rock he was hanging on to was beginning to loosen. Kyousuke looked down. Now he could just see the bottom of the pit; it wasn't too far down. He took a deep breath and let go, landing roughly on his feet, but losing his balance and falling over. "Ow." Kyousuke got up and looked around. It was very dark down there. He pulled his mini-flashlight out of his back pocket. Playing the beam around, he noticed that the portion of the wall to his left had a huge hole in it. It was a large dug-out tunnel, one that stretched out so far back that he couldn't see the start, or a curve. Just a long, straight, endless passageway. "So that's how she got here," he mused aloud, "But where did she come from?" A bright light suddenly flared up, growing more and more intense by the second. "What...?" It became so bright it nearly blinded him. A weird tingling feeling came over Kyousuke. Realising it came from his vest pocket, he reached in and pulled out his cell phone - or what **used **to be his phone. It had been turned into that strange yellow and brown device back on the train. What were they called again? V-Scanners?

Out of the glare, something was coming towards him. Another monster? No, this thing didn't feel threatening at all. In fact he felt drawn to it. As it came nearer, he realised what it was: a spirit. **His **spirit. He pointed his V-Scanner at it instinctively. The spirit shrank until it had been absorbed into the V-Scanner. As he held his hand out in front of him, a glowing ring of data appeared around it; he swiped the end of his V-Scanner at it. "Execute!" he shouted, "Spirit Evolution!"

The feeling that came over him was amazing. He felt newfound strength and power like he'd never felt before. He was Iwamon. Stronger than ever, he leapt out of the hole in a single bound. Coming out, he saw that everyone had scattered, trying to get away from Mantimon, who was breathing fire in pretty much every direction. Kouichi and Junpei were supporting a still-unconscious Kouji between them, while Tomoki and Izumi were doing their best to help Takuya move around. The smaller digimon-things, along with Juan and Shinya, had escaped to the safety of a rooftop. But wait, what about Lexi?

Iwamon looked around, but it was as if she'd vanished. He heard a shrill scream, and then he saw her. Lexi was backed up against a wall, Mantimon just barely shielding her from his line of sight. The beast opened her mouth, about to toast the girl. Iwamon had to do something.

It was as if something else was guiding him through the whole fight. Iwamon brought both hands down and pounded the ground at his feet. "Rock Slam!" he shouted. The earth rumbled and cracked beneath Mantimon's hooves. A stone spike erupted from that spot, launching the beast into the air.

As she landed, her massive body turned dark, and another ring of data, this one much bigger, appeared around her. Iwamon's V-Scanner appeared in his hand. "All right, you twisted freak! Show's over!" He slashed the V-Scanner sideways. "DigiCode, Scan!" The device absorbed the data, and Mantimon - or what was left of her - disintegrated.

The intense feeling of power was suddenly gone, and he sank to his knees in exhaustion, somehow a human again. "That was amazing!" Izumi cried, running over to him and planting one on his cheek. "Welcome to the team, Kyousuke!"

Welcome to the team. Yes, he **was **part of this crazy team, wasn't he? He didn't respond to Izumi's words, because he was too busy going over the events of the past hour in his mind. Had it really only been an hour? This was the most unbelievable experience he'd ever gone through, it seemed impossible that it'd happened in such a small amount of town. Of course, the impossible didn't seem so... impossible anymore.

* * *

"Kouji?" His head was throbbing like mad. "C'mon, budd-y, wake up!" Takuya's loud tone **really **wasn't helping Kouji's headache. He reached out and waved his hand around, making contact with someone's face.

"Owchie!" Neemon cried, "Why'd you do that?"

"Sorry," Kouji muttered, "I was aiming for Takuya. His shouting's working hell on my headache."

"Are you okay?" Kouji opened his eyes at Lexi's voice, finally realizing where he was: on board a moving Trailmon, with everyone crowded around him, even the Digimon. "That thing hit you pretty hard." What thing? Then it all came back to him. Mantimon had knocked him down - and apparently, out cold - in front of everyone. Great. Just great. How were the new kids supposed to take the old warriors seriously if they were getting smacked all over the place?

"I'm fine." He tried to sit up, but Takuya grabbed his shoulder and forced him back down, knocking his head on the armrest. "Ow. Watch it!"

"You should've seen it, man!" Tomoki cried, "Kyousuke actually got a spirit and saved us!"

"Which one?"

Tomoki grinned a little. "He got the Spirit of Earth."

"Grumblemon?" Kouji laughed a bit, stopping when his head started pounding harder.

"No, it was a different form," Izumi explained, "Now that all those spirits have been purified, they've completely changed. It's like what happened with the Spirits of Darkness, remember?"

* * *

Once everyone finally stopped fussing over his brother, Kouichi and the others took their own seats. At first they had a talk with Kyle about calling their D-Scannes 'V-Scanners', but then Takuya started discussing their plan of action. "Okay, so our long-term goal is to take out the leader of these guys, but to do that, we need to find those other spirits."

"Thanks a lot, Mr. Obvious," Kouji commented dryly, "I think we've already figured that one out." At least he was back to snapping at Takuya like usual.

"We should head to that cove near Seraphimon's castle," Junpei announced firmly, crossing his arms.

"Why there?"

"Because there are **three** Beast Spirits there, remember? Water, Wind, and Thunder."

"Thunder? Oh, I get it. You just want to get your own Beast Spirit back."

"Look, were almost there," Izumi cut in over Junpei's protests, "How about we just meet up at my place tomorrow, and sort out the details there? It's been a long day." Kouichi had to agree. All he wanted to do was relax for a little while.

"I still can't believe the Digimon are actually coming home with us," Kouji added, "How are we supposed to hide them in the Human World, anyway?"

"Well, it's already been decided we should split up," Bokomon explained, "To make hiding a little easier. But Neemon will **have **to go with you and Kouichi."

"Why **us**?"

"Because it will most definitely take two of you to watch **him**."

"Hey, Kouji?" Neemon asked, "When we get to your house, how about we jump on the bed? I've never done that before. Please? Pretty, pretty, pretty please?" Both twins groaned.

"Have fun," Takuya chuckled.

As the Trailmon screeched to a stop, Kouichi noticed that Lexi had barely said a word the entire trip. She'd spoken to Kouji a little when he'd woken up, but she'd been completely silent otherwise. Shinya, Kyousuke, and even Juan had come to accept the truth, but Lexi still seemed like a non-believer. What was it that made it so hard for her?

* * *

**Finally, some action! Only one chapter left, and it's very short. No spoilers here, though! Last chapter will contain a preview for my next story, an Avatar fic called "Avatar Niella 2: Firebending." **


	4. Epilogue

**So this is the final chapter. The shortest chapter I've written in my entire life, actually. **

**It's pretty much just what Lexi's thoughts are about her little adventure. **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon in any way. **

**CLAIMER: I so own Lexi, Mitzuki, and Toby. **

**'Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: "My servants will eat, but you will go hungry; my servants will drink, but you will go thirsty; my servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame. My servants will sing out of the joy in their hearts, but you will cry out from anguish out heart and wail in brokenness of spirit. You will leave your name to my chosen ones as a curse; the Sovereign Lord will put you to death, but to his servants he will give another name. Whoever invokes a blessing in the land will do so by the God of truth; he who takes an oath in the land will swear by the God of truth. For the past troubles will be forgotten and hidden from my eyes. Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and crying will be heard in it no more...' ~ Isaiah 65:13-19. **

* * *

"Lex! Supper's ready!" Aunt Mitzuki's voice drifted through the closed bedroom door. "Come and eat before it gets cold!"

Lexi didn't move from her spot at the windowsill. So much had happened today. It had confused her beyond words. All her life, she'd felt in control of everything that went on around her. She always knew exactly what was happening, and she liked it that way. But after today's events, she wasn't sure of **anything** anymore! This new world, the Digital World, it changed everything. And all the other kids, they took it in stride so fast.

Izumi had told her she would probably receive the Spirits of Water, since they were the only other female spirits. Whatever.

Lexi didn't want any part of this whole thing. It only confused her, and besides, it was dangerous! That goat/lion/snake … thing – had nearly killed them all! Why did the others want to do this? Why were they willing to risk themselves for some other world? Some of them hadn't even heard of it until today! It wasn't really their problem. Anyway. Sure, Takuya and the more experienced kids had gotten attached to the Digimon, but the other kids shouldn't have to get involved.

"Lexi!" Uncle Toby was calling her now.

"Coming!" Lexi replied. As she got up, she remembered the piece of paper in her pocket. On it was Izumi's address in curly script. The blonde had handed one out to everybody so that they could discuss their little 'battle plan'. Lexi fished it out and tossed it in the trash can on the way out.

Lexi didn't want anything to do with their plans. She was **not** going to that meeting tomorrow morning.

TO BE CONTINUED…

* * *

**Well, that's an interesting plot twist, huh? You'll have to wait for Part 3 to get the full details about what Lexi's talking about, though. **

**Here's a sneek-peek at 'Avatar Niella 2: Firebending' - **

**_Two weeks had passed since TaeXing and Niella had switched from Sokka's ship to Hahn's. They'd had to travel through the Ba Sing Se Canal (A/N: The canal was built after the series finale to connect Lake Laogai to Full Moon Bay), across the bay, and around the Serpent's Pass. Hahn had almost gone right through Serpent's Pass, but TaeXing, knowing even more stories about the monster than Niella, persuaded him to take a detour. Then they'd hit the open ocean at the eastern tip of the Earth Kingdom, and began sailing north around the whole continent to Kyoshi Island. If Hahn hadn't been so stubborn, they would've headed southeast, around the southern tip of the Fire Nation. But to him, that would mean sailing off the edge of his his seriously out-of-date map. So it really was no surprise that they hadn't arrived yet. _**

**_"Niella?" TaeXing's voice startled the young Avatar out of her thoughts. "Are we ever going to get there?" _**

**_Niella sat up and looked over. The princess was staring at the ceiling. "Of course," she replied, "It just might take a litte longer than we thought." _**

**_"Hahn really has no idea what he's doing, does he?" _**


End file.
